The-Leader_1976-09-16

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41st YEAR No. 21 FREEPORT, NEW YORKi SEPTEMBER 16,1976 PRICE 15« PER COPY
Hearing On Police
Bank Robbery
WithoutWeaiionl
Speokers AH Opposed To
FREEPORT - An early aftcr-
, noon robbery, this past Tuesday,-
of the National Bank .of North \
America, on West Stmrise
Highway,.'might have been ac­complished
without-the use of
fiiearms or weapons.
At 1:37 pm, a lone male passed
- a note to one of the bank's tellets
stating that he had a gun. PoUce
reiwrts - estimate - that the man
_ received around S200, but baidc'
sources late Tuesday could not-
' conftrm the'ainount as their axxdit
J had "not yet - beeij completed.
CTidng/ng Police Service
FREEPORT'- About 300 people filled the' meeting room and the
outer hallway of Village Hall Monday night for the first public hearing
on a proposed Village law to put up for public referendum.t local law
to abolish the Freepiort police department. The spectators, who in­cluded
Freeport police officers, thehr familyand friends, candidates
for public office, citizens who
testified eloquently of the assist­ance
the loorf police had giveti
them, and other residents op­posed
to having.the Village ser-
._ved by tlie County police depart­ment,
greeted each pro-Frecport
valuation; On a house assessed
at S6,000, the Mayor .explained,
local.police service would cost
the taxpayers S18 a year more
than • using'; County services,
while, on a,house assessed at
P<>".co'»tatement with •aastained_^«ift9m; •>>,; ...vtnj^ Mi.,>«,M K^
ajjplause
Police Pepattincnt.they.rcarved. Although Mayor Wmam White.
.:a'tclephon^caU-frj^ the Mars explaiiied^»ever^to« Uut.thec,
?/Store-oa-ti3uirdj .^and i^SwttiseV^^»«^^
-Jr#i^aT^lKwBg^l^.?fi5ji&pW'^»^?>^
Thiiyproprietor had seen «: man,, referendumand that thfc Board of
-. ' i
frhd answered: Uie descriptioii of
r^tlw bank, robber,; throw somdhitfg
.: .hear; the stare. It was-" a. starter
^ • jpoHce,'tij(t pistol said. " -' ,-
, First prcdnct detectives and
the F.B.!.aie still tavestigating
as THE LEADER goes to press;
H.S. Reunion
- FREEPORT - The 25 year re­union
of the Freeport' High
School dass of 1951 will be held
Sunday. .October 10. 9. pm b ; 1
-am. at the Salty Ray. Yadit
Club. Other Freeport graduates
of ten to 25 years ago are invited
. to join in the event, . .
- . Tickets are $15 per person and
mcfude a bofi^t dinner and
drinks". For reservations caD or
wrfte to Marianne (O'NetH).
C«roD. 28 Fairview Avenue,
BaWwm. MA 3-9163: or Cionz
(Fischer) .White. 11 Horton
Street, W. blip. JU 6-9565.
TYiistees wais not niecessarOy:in-
- favor of abolishing the local force,
..the speakers • seemed to object -
to the. whole idea of the referen­dum.
Jim'-Qark summed it. up
with "We have one of the finest
S30 pe year. The $240,0067 a,
year-budget savings. White ex-pUlned.'
is-baaed.oa the assuro-r
Inctease its presaif fttrce.^. ^''. _
'•• "nicf PBA President,'; Arthur
Burdette, explained to the peo* -
pic that, "in ho way airewie trying
to compare .ourselves with the •
Nassau County police department
or trying to degrade.'- He. said
that by" keeping the local depart-
"pblice"departments in theuatioB~-,nenf.~the'-Tesidenty of • Free
8TAH01NQ ROOM ONLY;-An ovirftow crowd tttimalad tn'
of 300 people sftowad up at Vlllao* Hall Monday night for the Public
. Heerii^ on FreepolFl'a Police Refa^ndum,' Top photo showa people
standing In.the alsle^ In ttie hearing .nx>m. Center photo la of the
crowds putslde the main entrance and' lower photo shows still more
people crowding artwnd a side doorl.leveryone straining to see and
hear. (LEADER photos)
School Budget Defeated Ap^
Group drpnizes to Save flcti^^^^
• FREEPORT - Civic, business and cominanity;leaders, responding
^ ^ third defeat of the Freeport SdKwl "KsfaTct-bu^
year, are forming a group to raise the money needed to coctinnc
sports, alBed interests such as cheer leading, and music in the local
schools.
Last Thursday, September 9,
District voters went to the polls
for the third time to defeat the
'SIS.396,145 budget by 604 votes.
Althon^ 5.048 people went to
the polls (the second budget
vote drew 3.982) and isore people
voted yes (2,214) than voted yes
last time around (1,146), the no
vxiters still outnumbered them:
2,815 Freeport residents pushed
that "co" lever compared to
(Cent. onPage 12)
Bo«TrIpTo
Shea Stadium
FREEPORT - A bus trip to
Shea Staxlium to see a baseball
game is planned by the Freeport
Bicentennial Committee for this
Friday evening, September 17.
A bus will leave from the rear
of Bayview Avenue School, on
-Smith Sueet, at 0 piiu and travel
to Shea Stadium for the game be­tween
the New York Mets and the
Pittsburgh Pirates. The cost is
S7 which includes a box seat and
transportation.
The trip is. very limited. Her
scrv-ations must be made in ad­vance
immediately by calling
Helen Paturzo. FR 9-0373.
I think this referendum should
liever. have .been brought up.
I think you as board members
have qommitted one of the big­gest
faux pas."
White explained that the initial
request tQ^ Nassau County to
survey the Village's police needs
tmd come up wnb costs and pro­posed
service was made in No­vember
1975, following a request
fromChief of Police Aotfabiiy Elar
for ah additkmal teti men on tbe-^
forts."The request* if granted,
would have added $200,000 hi
salaries and fringe. benefits to
the budget. J ' "
CsoBty Fropoeal .
With four members of the Nassau
County Foiice-- Department
present (Chief of District Williim
-iPng. .Deputy Chief :bisi>ector
Vincent Redicaii, and' Deputy.
'CbinmissioneTs Martin O'Connor
and Edward Cofran) White
described the propoical Nassau
(bounty has made for services to
the Village. There would be
dght pdtrol cars around the clock
and three walking posts—one
for 24 hours and two from 8 am
to midnight. Twenty school
crossmg guanls would also be
pTOT-ided. This plan would be
. subject to increase or decrease
depending n circumstances, but
it would be the basis for the con­tract.
- Both'Whife"'anff Police CHiier
Elar explained that there are now.
nine to 12 police men at any one
time on duty in the Village.
Tax Difference
. According to the Maj-or.^
the latest figures show .that
using the County police force
would save village taxpayers
about 30t per SlOO assessed
port have almost a "double,
type of coverage," because in
certain instances the Na^u
County department comes in
^ and worts witli the local force.
'.'We know the people and the-^
geographic area,'!' Burdette
-said, ''We want to stay because
we like it here and we, want to
serve you." . J
. Seiideiita Remadu
^ Atnbsg the comments from the
'residentsV who signed cards and
were'called In order, were", that.
the pqHce department has "re- • .
spojided quiciJy and efficiently." -
' Edward Isensan,' the first .
speaker, was' met'with mass-
. applause. -
. Witfi= a PBA tape recortJer .
and a PBA paid court stenograph-
, tt taking down all the comments^
the people stood and argiied with
the Village 6oard,"appIauded,
shouted and catcalled.
. Residents told each other, "If
you give up your local depart­ment,
we are crazy.'' Comments
from the audience suggested that
the Board, to save tax doQars,"
would be better off selling the
Freeport Recreation Center.
None of the- speakers cared
about .the tax-saving features.
ETecn Kiitpatrick, of Branch
Avenue, expressed it for many
of them as she said, "1 will take
- the Freeport police any day over
the Nassau County Police I)epart-menf
no matter what they cost.
It is the finest from New York City
to Montauk Point."
Evelj-n Dur)-ca, of Branch Av­enue,
one of the many long-time
'residents."who spoke, told the
Board, "What is S30 a year com-
(Cont.onPage 11)
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